Floating matter observation device

Abstract

To provide a floating matter observation device which can be easily installed even in a treatment water tank where an area where the floating matter observation device can be installed is limited.SOLUTION: There is provided a floating matter observation device 100 for observing a floating matter contained in an observation target liquid in a treatment water tank 5, the device including: an imaging unit 10 that images the floating matter floating on a surface of liquid to be observed; a suspension unit 30 that is supported by the treatment water tank 5 and provided above the imaging unit 10; and guide devices 31 and 11 for guiding the imaging unit 10 in a vertical direction. The guide devices 31 and 11 have a guide portion 31 provided on the suspension unit 30 and a guided portion 11 provided on the imaging unit 10, and the guide portion 31 guides the guided portion 11 in the vertical direction and restricts a movement of the guided portion 11 in a horizontal direction, and the suspension unit 30 or the guide device 31 has a stopper portion 34 that restricts the guided portion 31 from moving downward beyond a predetermined position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a suspended matter observation device that observes suspended matter in a liquid to be observed while floating on the liquid surface of the liquid to be observed.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as this type of suspended matter observation device, for example, like the suspended matter observation device described in Patent Document 1, it observes suspended matter such as flocs (fine dust and garbage) in water while floating on the water surface in a treatment water tank of a water purification plant.

[0003] This suspended matter observation device has a light-shielding hood having an opening, a camera and illumination provided inside the light-shielding hood, and a floating body provided on the light-shielding hood. Further, the suspended matter observation device is attached to the wall surface of the treatment water tank via a link mechanism and is configured to move up and down following the fluctuation of the water level.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The above-described suspended matter observation device may be used in a treatment water tank 5 provided with a stirring blade 7 as shown in FIG. 12. As a treatment facility 4 having such a treatment water tank 5, for example, there is a floc formation tank. The floc formation tank grows the flocs significantly during the water purification process to promote sedimentation separation in the subsequent stage. At this time, in order to make the flocs more likely to sink, the floc formation tank is provided with a stirring blade 7 that gently stirs the water.

[0006] As shown in the figure, the flocculation formation tank is generally composed of a plurality of treatment water tanks 5 connected in series. The stirring blade 7 is arranged at the lower part of each treatment water tank 5 and has a plurality of blades extending along the longitudinal direction of each treatment water tank 5. The stirring blade 7 stirs the water by being rotated by a motor (not shown).

[0007] Figure 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of the treatment water tank 5. As shown in Figure 13, in the treatment water tank 5 provided with the stirring blade 7, the ratio of the area occupied by the region through which the stirring blade 7 passes in the treatment water tank 5 is large. Therefore, as shown as region A in the figure, the region where the suspended matter observation device can be installed is limited. For example, when the suspended matter observation device extends to the vicinity of the center of the treatment water tank 5 (virtual line A1 in the figure), or when the suspended matter observation device extends to below the treatment water tank 5 (virtual line A2 in the figure), the suspended matter observation device may come into contact with the stirring blade 7, and both may be damaged.

[0008] The suspended matter observation device as described in Patent Document 1 is attached to the wall surface 6 of the treatment water tank 5 via a link mechanism and moves up and down following the fluctuation of the water level. For this reason, the suspended matter observation device moves up and down along an arc-shaped track and also moves horizontally in addition to the vertical movement. When the fluctuation range of the water level is large, it is necessary to set the link longer accordingly. In that case, the horizontal movement distance of the suspended matter observation device increases, and thus the suspended matter observation device may come into contact with the stirring blade 7 by extending to the vicinity of the center of the treatment water tank 5 or below the treatment water tank 5.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a suspended matter observation device with good installability even in a treatment water tank where the area where the suspended matter observation device can be installed is limited, such as a treatment water tank equipped with a stirring blade.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a suspended matter observation device for observing suspended matter contained in a liquid to be observed in a treatment water tank, an imaging unit that images the suspended matter in a state of floating on the liquid surface of the liquid to be observed, A suspension part that is supported by the treatment water tank and provided above the imaging unit, and A guide device that guides the imaging unit in the vertical direction are provided, The guide device has a guide part provided on the suspension part and a guided part provided on the imaging unit, The guide part guides the guided part in the vertical direction and restricts the horizontal movement of the guided part, The suspension part or the guide device has a stopper part that restricts the downward movement of the guided part beyond a predetermined position.

[0011] According to this, in the suspended matter observation device, the imaging unit connected to the guided part is restricted from moving horizontally as a relative movement with respect to the treatment water tank that supports the guide part, and can move relatively in the vertical direction. Further, the suspended matter observation device is restricted from moving downward beyond a predetermined position of the imaging unit. Therefore, the suspended matter observation device can move the imaging unit vertically following the change in the water level, restrict the horizontal movement of the imaging unit, and restrict the downward movement of the imaging unit beyond a predetermined position, thereby avoiding contact between the imaging unit and the stirring blade. As a result, the suspended matter observation device can be installed even in a treatment water tank such as a treatment water tank equipped with a stirring blade where the area where the suspended matter observation device can be installed is limited.

[0012] In the suspended matter observation device according to the second invention, the guide part is a plurality of members extending downward from the suspension part.

[0013] According to this, the suspended matter observation device can sandwich the guided part inside with a plurality of members and support the guided part to enable relative movement in the vertical direction, that is, the guide part can be simply configured. Therefore, the suspended matter observation device can improve the installability to the treatment water tank by miniaturizing its configuration through simplification.

[0014] In the suspended matter observation device according to the third invention, a gap is formed between the guide part and the guided part, The guided part or the guide part has a gap adjustment part for adjusting the size of the gap.

[0015] According to this, the floating object observation device can prevent the captured image from becoming unclear due to the shaking or tilting of the imaging part caused by the excessive amount of the gap. As a result, the floating object observation device can miniaturize the imaging part while maintaining the imaging accuracy of the imaging part, thereby improving the installability in the treatment water tank.

[0016] In the floating object observation device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the stopper part is a string-like body that connects the imaging part and the suspension part. The length of the string-like body is set so that the guided part does not move downward beyond a predetermined position.

[0017] According to this, the floating object observation device can use a string-like body such as a wire as the stopper part, so that the stopper part can have a simple configuration. Thereby, the floating object observation device can be miniaturized by simplifying its configuration, and the installability in the treatment water tank can be improved.

[0018] In the floating object observation device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the suspension part further includes a terminal block to which an electric cable from the imaging part is connected. The length of the string-like body is set to have a slack length in the electric cable when the guided part is in the lower end position.

[0019] According to this, even when the fluctuation amount of the water level is large and the water level drops significantly, the imaging part does not drop more than the length of the string-like body. Thereby, the electric cable is kept in a slack state, and the breakage of the electric cable can be prevented by not applying an excessive tensile force or the like to the electric cable.

Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, the suspended matter observation device is configured such that the imaging unit can move vertically following the fluctuation of the water level, while restricting the horizontal movement of the imaging unit and limiting the downward movement of the imaging unit beyond a predetermined position, thereby avoiding contact between the imaging unit and the stirring blade. As a result, the suspended matter observation device can be installed even in a treatment water tank, such as a treatment water tank equipped with a stirring blade, where the area where the suspended matter observation device can be installed is limited.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Embodiment for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] Hereinafter, the suspended matter observation apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will not be repeated. Also, in the following description, terms such as "upper", "lower", "horizontal" and "vertical" may be used to mean positions or directions. These terms are used for convenience in order to facilitate understanding of the embodiment, and are not limited to the positions or directions in actual implementation.

[0023] 〈First Embodiment〉 With reference to FIG. 1, the configuration of the processing facility 1 provided with the suspended matter observation apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional perspective view showing the processing facility 1 provided with the suspended matter observation apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, the treatment facility 1 includes a treatment water tank 5 and a floating matter observation device 100 installed in the treatment water tank 5. As shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of treatment water tanks 5 are arranged in parallel, and each treatment water tank 5 includes a side wall 6, raw water W containing floating matter, and a stirring blade 7 for stirring the raw water W. Repeatedly, the stirring blade 7 has a plurality of blades extending in the longitudinal direction of the treatment water tank 5 and is rotated by a motor (not shown). Each treatment water tank 5 has a plurality of communication holes 8 in the side wall 6. The communication hole 8 is a hole penetrating the side wall 6 and connects each treatment water tank 5. When the raw water W flows from the upstream treatment water tank 5 to the downstream treatment water tank 5 through the communication hole 8, a water flow is generated. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a water flow is generated in the direction of arrow D1 in the figure. The stirring blade 7 is rotated in a direction where the rotational direction above the rotation axis is the water flow direction D1 or the direction opposite to the water flow direction D1 in order to stir the raw water W. Note that the stirring blade 7 is an example of an obstacle that may hinder the installation of the floating matter observation device 100 in the treatment water tank 5.

[0025] Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the configuration of the floating matter observation device 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the floating matter observation device 100 as viewed from the water flow direction D1 of FIG. 1 and an enlarged view of the main part.

[0026] The floating matter observation device 100 includes an imaging unit 10 for imaging floating matter, and a suspension unit 30 supported by the treatment water tank 5 (see FIG. 1) and provided above the imaging unit 10. The suspension unit 30 includes a pair of bridges 32 spanned between the upper ends of the side walls 6 of the treatment water tank 5, a top plate 33 spanned between both bridges 32, a plurality of guide parts 31 extending downward from the top plate 33 into the raw water W in the tank, a string-like sling 34 (an example of a stopper part) connecting the imaging unit 10 and the top plate 33, and a terminal block 36 disposed on the top plate 33.

[0027] The imaging unit 10 includes an imaging device 20, a support frame 16 for supporting the imaging device 20, a float 17 connected to the support frame 16, and a plurality of guided parts 11 provided at the corners of the float 17.

[0028] The imaging device 20 optically images floating matter, which will be described in detail later. The float 17 is a pair of box-shaped bodies with air sealed inside, and by sandwiching and supporting the imaging device 20 from both sides via the support frame 16, the imaging device 20 is floated on the liquid surface of the raw water W. In response to the fluctuation of the water level WS of the raw water W, the imaging device 20 supported by the support frame 16 moves up and down together with the float 17.

[0029] Although not shown in the figure, the float 17 may be configured such that a weight can be placed on the upper part of the float 17. The weight is preferably placed near each of the four corners of the floating matter observation device 100. The weight is preferably configured to be in a thin plate shape so that the amount of the weight placed can be adjusted by adjusting the number of weights placed. Thereby, fine adjustment of the posture of the imaging device 20 with respect to the liquid surface becomes possible.

[0030] The guided part 11 is provided at the corner of the float 17 at the four corners of the imaging part 10 in a top view, which will be described in detail later. The guided part 11 has a plurality of angle parts 12 with an L-shaped cross section, and in this embodiment, it is composed of four angle parts 12. Each angle part 12 is provided on the float 17 such that the ridge line at the corner faces the outside of the floating matter observation device 100 in a top view.

[0031] The bridge 32 is typically a pair of H-shaped steels, which is spanned over the upper end of the side wall 6 (see FIG. 1) of the treatment tank 5 and fixed to the upper end of the side wall 6 by anchor bolts or the like (not shown).

[0032] The top plate 33 has its longitudinal direction spanned over both bridges 32 and is fixed to the bridges 32 by bolts or the like. At both longitudinal ends of the top plate 33, positioning bent portions 33b that bend downward are formed.

[0033] The guide part 31 is composed of a plurality of L-shaped angles with the upper end connected to the top plate 33 and the lower end extending downward into the raw water W in the tank. In this embodiment, it is composed of four angles. Each guide part 31 is arranged near the corners of the square of the top plate 33 so that the ridge line of the corner faces outward of the suspended matter observation device 100 in a top view, and sandwiches the bridge 32 between it and the bent part 33b.

[0034] The inner surfaces of the angles in the square guide part 31 are arranged so as to be able to face the outer surfaces of the angle parts 12 of the square guided part 11 with a gap. That is, the square guide part 31 is configured to be vertically fitted with the square guided part 11 inside it with a gap. Thereby, the guided part 11 and the imaging part 10 connected to the guided part 11 are guided vertically by the guide part 31, that is, the suspension part 30. That is, the guide part 31 and the guided part 11 function as a guide device for guiding the imaging part 10 vertically.

[0035] Specifically, the sling 34 is a string-like body such as a wire. In a state where the guide part 31 and the guided part 11 are fitted, both ends are connected to the upper surface of the support frame 16 and the lower surface of the top plate 33 of the suspension part 30 respectively. Thereby, the sling 34 restricts the downward movement of the imaging part 10 with respect to the suspension part 30 according to its length. That is, the movable amount of the imaging part 10 with respect to the suspension part 30 is adjusted according to the length of the sling 34.

[0036] The length of the sling 34 is appropriately set so as not to exceed a predetermined position (lower limit guide position) where the imaging part 10 and the stirring blade 7 (see FIG. 1) do not contact when the imaging part 10 is guided downward by the suspension part 30. Also, the vertical lengths of the guide part 31 and the guided part 11 are set so that partial fitting between the guide part 31 and the guided part 11 is maintained even when the sling 34 is fully extended.

[0037] The terminal block 36 is connected to the electric cable 37 from the imaging device 20 and relays power supply, control, sensor signals, etc. to the imaging device 20. The length of the sling 34 is set to be shorter than the length of the electric cable 37 from the imaging device 20 to the terminal block 36 so as to give slack to the electric cable 37 even when the imaging unit 10 is guided to the lower end by the suspension unit 30 and the sling 34 is fully extended.

[0038] Next, with reference to the enlarged view of FIG. 2, the configuration of the guided portion 11 will be further described. Although it will be repeated, the guided portion 11 is provided at the corners of the square float 17 of the imaging unit 10 in a top view. In the following description, the direction along the direction in which the corner of the float 17 faces will be described as the D2 direction.

[0039] The guided portion 11 has a support portion 13 extending upward from the upper surface of the float 17 and an angle portion 12 supported by the support portion 13. The support portion 13 is a channel-shaped member having a pair of support plates 13b extending in parallel along the D2 direction in a top view, and a plurality of through long holes 13c whose longitudinal direction is along the D2 direction are provided in each support plate 13b.

[0040] The angle portion 12 is arranged such that the lower inner surface faces the outer surface of the corner of the float 17. The angle portion 12 has slide plates 12b extending in parallel along the D2 direction on the upper side from both ends in a top view.

[0041] The angle portion 12 has a pair of slide plates 12b sandwiching a pair of support plates 13b in the support portion 13 from the inside. The slide plates 12b have through holes 12c at positions corresponding to the through long holes 13c of the support plates 13b, and the slide plates 12b and the support plates 13b are fixed with bolts and nuts at positions where these holes 13c and 12c face each other.

[0042] By loosening the bolt, the sliding plate 12b can slide in the D2 direction with respect to the support plate 13b at the angled portion 12. At this time, when the through-hole 12c of the sliding plate 12b faces the inner portion in the D2 direction of the through-long hole 13c of the support plate 13b, the angled portion 12 approaches the float 17, and when the through-hole 12c of 12b faces the outer portion in the D2 direction of the through-long hole 13c, the angled portion 12 moves away from the float 17. That is, the guided portion 11 can change the positional relationship between the angled portion 12 and the float 17.

[0043] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the guide portion 11 and the guided portion 31. As shown by the solid line and the virtual line in Figure 3, since the guided portion 11 can change the positional relationship between the angled portion 12 and the float 17, it can absorb the errors during the manufacture of the imaging portion 10 and the suspension portion 30 while adjusting the amount of the gap C between the guide portion 31 and the guided portion 11. That is, the guided portion 11 functions as a gap adjustment portion for adjusting the amount of the gap C.

[0044] Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the configuration of the imaging device 20 will be described. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the imaging device 20 of the suspended matter observation device 100 when viewed from the water flow direction D1. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same imaging device 20 when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the water flow direction D1.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 4, the imaging device 20 includes a light source 21 that irradiates the sheet laser light L from above the water surface WS onto the floc F, which is suspended matter under the water surface, a camera 22 that images the floc F irradiated with the sheet laser light L in the imaging range OR under the water surface WS from above the water surface, and a case 23 that houses the light source 21 and the camera 22.

[0046] Note that the sheet laser light L spreads fan-shaped from the light source 21 in the water flow direction D1 of the raw water W in a plan view and is substantially linear when viewed from the water flow direction D1 as shown in FIG. 4.

[0047] The imaging range OR is the range when the flock F irradiated with the sheet laser light L is imaged by the camera 22, and the focus of the camera 22 is adjusted to the imaging range OR. Specifically, the position of the waterline WL (see Fig. 2) of the float 17 is adjusted so that the distance from the camera 22 to the water surface matches the design value.

[0048] The case 23 is supported by a support frame 16 spanned between the upper end portions of both floats 17, and has a case member 24 exposed on the water surface WS and a wave-breaking member 25 provided below the case member 24. The wave-breaking member 25 surrounds the periphery of the imaging range OR and blocks the waves on the water surface WS, and has an inverted triangular shape whose width decreases downward as viewed from the water flow direction D1. The imaging range OR is formed inside the wave-breaking member 25.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 5, the wave-breaking member 25 has an inlet 25b that opens on the upstream side in the water flow direction D1 of the raw water W and an outlet 25c that opens on the downstream side in the water flow direction D1. The inlet 25b is submerged below the water surface WS. Also, the outlet 25c is formed at the height where the water surface WS (i.e., the waterline WL) passes.

[0050] As shown in Fig. 5, the raw water W flowing in the water channel flows into the inside of the wave-breaking member 25 from the inlet 25b of the imaging device 20, flows inside the wave-breaking member 25 in the water flow direction D1, and flows out of the wave-breaking member 25 from the outlet 25c.

[0051] In this state, as shown in Fig. 4, the sheet laser light L is irradiated from the light source 21 toward the water surface WS, and the flock F within the imaging range OR is imaged by the camera 22. At this time, since the waves on the water surface WS are blocked by the wave-breaking member 25, the generation of waves inside the wave-breaking member 25 is suppressed, and the flock F in the raw water W can be imaged in a state where the influence of the waves is eliminated. Thereby, a clear image of the flock F can be obtained.

[0052] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, the operation of the above configuration will be described. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the floating object observation device 100 as viewed from the water flow direction D1 in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the floating object observation device 100 as viewed from the water flow direction D1, showing a state where the water level WS has dropped below the lower limit value. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same floating object observation device 100 as viewed from a direction orthogonal to the water flow direction D1, showing a state where the imaging unit 10 is inclined with respect to the suspension unit 30.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 6, in the floating object observation device 100, the square guide portion 31 has a square guided portion 11 inside thereof and fits vertically with a gap C (see FIG. 3), so that the imaging unit 10 connected to the guided portion 11 is guided vertically by the guide portion 31. As a result, as shown by the virtual line in FIG. 6, the imaging unit 10 can move up and down following the change in the water level WS even when there is a change in the water level WS. At this time, in the floating object observation device 100, since the guide portion 31 fits vertically with the guided portion 11, the horizontal movement of the imaging unit 10 can be restricted. Strictly speaking, the imaging unit 10 also moves only slightly horizontally within the range of the gap C, but the gap C is so small that it can be ignored compared to the amount of change in the water level WS. Therefore, it can be considered that the horizontal movement of the imaging unit 10 is restricted.

[0054] In the floating object observation device 100, since the imaging unit 10 and the top plate 33 are connected by a sling 34, the floating object observation device 100 restricts the imaging unit 10 from moving downward beyond the length of the sling 34 with reference to the position of the top plate 33. Since the length of the sling 34 is appropriately set so that the imaging unit 10 does not move downward beyond a predetermined position even when the sling 34 is fully extended, as shown in FIG. 7, contact between the imaging unit 10 and the stirring blade 7 can be prevented even when the amount of change in the water level WS is large.

[0055] Also, as shown in the figure, the lengths of the guide portion 31 and the guided portion 11 are set such that partial fitting between the guide portion 31 and the guided portion 11 is maintained even when the sling 34 is fully extended, thereby preventing the guided portion 11 of the imaging unit 10 from coming off the guide portion 31 even when the fluctuation amount of the water level WS is large.

[0056] Therefore, the suspended matter observation device 100 enables the imaging unit 10 connected to the guided portion 11 to move vertically following the fluctuation of the water level WS, and restricts the horizontal movement and downward movement beyond a predetermined position of the imaging unit 10, thereby avoiding contact between the imaging unit 10 and the stirring blade 7. As a result, the suspended matter observation device 100 can be installed even in a treatment water tank 5 such as a treatment water tank 5 having obstacles such as the stirring blade 7, where the installation area of the suspended matter observation device 100 is limited.

[0057] The suspended matter observation device 100 can guide the guided portion 11 by sandwiching the guided portion 11 inside with a plurality of angles extending downward from the top plate 33 as the guide portion 31. That is, the guide portion 31 can be configured with simple members. Further, the suspended matter observation device 100 can have a simple configuration of the stopper portion by using a string-like body such as a sling 34 or a wire that connects the imaging unit 10 and the bridge 32 as the stopper portion. Thereby, the suspended matter observation device 100 can reduce the size of the device by simplifying its configuration, and thus can improve the installability in the treatment water tank 5.

[0058] Note that the terminal block 36 is provided on the suspension part 30 and not on the imaging part 10. Therefore, the floating matter observation device 100 can reduce the size and weight of the imaging part 10, improving its installability in the treatment water tank 5. Further, the floating matter observation device 100 is set such that the length of the sling 34 is shorter than the length of the electric cable 37 from the imaging part 10 to the terminal block 36. Thus, even when the fluctuation amount of the water level WS is large, the sling 34 reaches a fully extended state before a tensile force is generated in the electric cable 37. As a result, an excessive tensile force or the like is not applied to the electric cable 37, and the floating matter observation device 100 can prevent the electric cable 37 from breaking or the like.

[0059] Due to errors or the like during the manufacture of the floating matter observation device 100, there is a slight variation in the amount of the gap C between the angle of the guide part 31 and the angled part 12 of the guided part 11. When the amount of the gap C becomes excessive due to the variation, as shown in FIG. 8, the imaging part 10 receives an external force ΔF due to water flow or the like, and the guided part 11 falls within the gap C, resulting in a large tilting angle Δθ of the guided part 11 with respect to the guide part 31 of the imaging part 10 connected thereto. That is, the tilting angle of the imaging part 10 with respect to the water surface WS becomes large.

[0060] At this time, as shown in the same figure, since the distance from the camera 22 (see FIG. 4) in the imaging part 10 to the water surface WS is different from the design value, the image captured by the camera 22 may become unclear. This tendency becomes more prominent as the imaging part 10 is miniaturized with the same amount of the gap C because the Δθ becomes larger. On the other hand, when the amount of the gap C becomes too small, the frictional force between the guide part 31 and the guided part 11 becomes large, and it may be difficult to smoothly guide the guided part 11 by the guide part 31. Therefore, the amount of the gap C needs to be set within an appropriate range.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 3, the guided portion 11 functions as a gap adjusting portion for adjusting the amount of the gap C. Thereby, the suspended matter observation device 100 can prevent the value of the gap C from becoming large, the tilting angle Δθ of the imaging unit 10 from becoming large, and the captured image from becoming unclear by adjusting the amount of the gap C to a designed value. As a result, the suspended matter observation device 100 can reduce the size of the imaging unit 10 while maintaining the imaging accuracy of the imaging unit 10, thereby improving the installability in the treatment water tank 5. Note that the guided portion 11 also functions as a reinforcing member for reinforcing the corner portions of the float 17.

[0062] Furthermore, similar to the amount of the gap C, there is a slight variation in the weight of the imaging device 20 in the suspended matter observation device 100. For this reason, the position of the waterline WL of the float 17 may fluctuate vertically. When the position of the waterline WL fluctuates, the distance from the camera 22 to the water surface WS in the imaging unit 10 may differ from the designed value, and the image captured by the camera 22 may become unclear.

[0063] The suspended matter observation device 100 can place weights on the upper surface of the float 17 near the corners of the suspended matter observation device 100, thereby adjusting the weight of the suspended matter observation device 100 and the weight distribution in the front, rear, left, and right directions thereof. Thereby, the suspended matter observation device 100 can efficiently adjust the position of the waterline WL of the float 17 so that the distance from the camera 22 to the water surface WS coincides with the designed value, and as a result, the imaging accuracy can be improved.

[0064] <Second to Fourth Embodiments> Next, with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11, the suspended matter observation devices 200, 300, and 400 according to the second to fourth embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the suspended matter observation device 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the suspended matter observation device 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the suspended matter observation device 400 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] In FIGS. 9 to 11, the suspended matter observation devices 200, 300, and 400 omit the terminal block 36 and the bridge 32, and the imaging unit 10 is shown in a simplified manner.

[0066] In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the floating object observation device 200 has four long plate-shaped guide portions 231. The guide portion 231 is provided so as to extend downward from the lower surface of the top plate 233. Each guide portion 231 has a gap with the outer surface of the imaging unit 10 and faces it. That is, the inner surface of the guide portion 231 fits in the vertical direction while having a gap with the outer surface of the imaging unit 10. Similar to the floating object observation device 100 according to the first embodiment, the imaging unit 10 is connected to the top plate 233 of the suspension portion 230 and the sling 234.

[0067] In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the floating object observation device 300 has four long plate-shaped guide portions 331 and also four long plate-shaped guided portions 311. The guide portion 331 is provided so as to extend downward from the vicinity of the four corners of the lower surface of the top plate 333. The guided portion 311 is provided so as to extend upward from the vicinity of the four corners of the upper surface of the float 17 (not shown) of the imaging unit 10. In a top view, the square guided portion 311 is disposed outside the square guide portion 331, and the inner surface of the guided portion 311 and the outer surface of the guide portion 331 face each other with a gap therebetween.

[0068] The guided portion 311 has a through-hole 311b extending in the vertical direction, and the guide portion 331 is provided with a pin 331b that fits into the through-hole 311b with a gap therebetween on the surface facing the guided portion 311. The pin 331b is configured to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the through-hole 311b. That is, these through-holes 311b and the pin 331b function as a stopper portion to limit the downward movement amount of the imaging unit 10.

[0069] In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the floating object observation device 400 includes four rod-shaped guide portions 431 and four guided portions 411 each having a U-shaped cross section. The guided portion 411 has a pair of side plates 411b and an upper plate 411c connected to the upper ends of both side plates. The lower ends of both side plates 411b are connected to the upper surface of the float 17 (not shown) of the imaging unit 10. A through hole 411d is provided in the upper plate 411c. The upper end of the guide portion 431 is connected to the top plate 433, and the lower end is inserted into the through hole 411d with a gap and supported by the through hole 411d so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. A retaining member 431b is provided at the lower end of the guide portion 431 inserted into the through hole 411d. The retaining member 431b prevents the imaging unit 10 from moving downward and the end of the guide portion 431 from coming out of the through hole 411d. That is, the retaining member 431b functions as a stopper portion and limits the downward movement amount of the imaging unit 10.

[0070] With the above configuration, the floating object observation devices 200, 300, and 400 guide the imaging unit 10 to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the guide portions 231, 331, and 431, restrict the horizontal movement, and limit the downward movement. Therefore, the floating object observation devices 200, 300, and 400 have the same effects as the floating object observation device 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0071] In the above first to fourth embodiments, since the floating object observation device 100 includes a stopper portion, when installing the floating object observation device 100 in the treatment water tank 5, the guide portion 31 of the suspension portion 30 and the guided portion 11 of the imaging unit 10 are fitted and connected, and after installing the bridge 32 in the treatment water tank 5, the suspension portion 30 is lifted, so that the suspension portion 30 and the imaging unit 10 can be transported and installed integrally.

[0072] In the above-described first to fourth embodiments, the guide portions 31, 231, 331, 431 and the guided portions 11, 211, 311, 411 are each configured by four components. However, these may be configured by a plurality other than four. Further, in each embodiment, the configuration of the guide portions 31, 231, 331, 431 and the configuration of the guided portions 11, 211, 311, 411 may be interchanged. That is, a member having the same configuration as the guide portions 31, 231, 331, 431 may be provided in the imaging unit 10 as the guided portion, and a member having the same configuration as the guided portions 11, 211, 311, 411 may be provided in the suspension unit 30 as the guide portion.

[0073] Also, in the above-described first to fourth embodiments, the spaces between the guide portions 31, 231, 331, 431 and the spaces between the guided portions 11, 211, 311, 411 are open. However, when the water flow in the treatment water tank 5 is strong and a large horizontal pressure is generated on the imaging unit 10, a baffle plate (wave breaker plate) may be provided between the guide portions 31, 231, 331, 431 or between the guided portions 11, 211, 311, 411 to suppress the pressure generated on the imaging unit 10.

[0074] Also, in the above-described first to fourth embodiments, the bridge 32 is bridged and fixed to the upper end of the side wall 6 of the treatment water tank 5. However, brackets may be provided on the opposing side wall 6 surfaces of the treatment water tank 5, and a bridge may be bridged and fixed between the brackets. Further, a bracket may be provided on one side wall 6 surface of the treatment water tank 5, and the bridge may be fixed to the bracket in a cantilever manner.

[0075] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various aspects without departing from the gist thereof. The drawings schematically show each component mainly for easy understanding, and the thickness, length, number, interval, etc. of each illustrated component are different from the actual ones for convenience of drawing creation. Also, the materials, shapes, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in the above-described embodiments are examples and are not particularly limited, and various changes can be made without substantially departing from the configuration of the present invention.

Explanation of Symbols

[0076] W Raw water WL Water line WS Water level F Floc 1 Suspended matter observation equipment 5 Treatment water tank 6 Side wall 7 Stirring blade 8 Communication hole 10 Imaging unit 11 Guided part 12 Angle part 12b Slide plate 13 Support part 13b Support plate 16 Support frame 17 Float 20 Imaging device 21 Light source 22 Camera 23 Case 24 Case member 25 Wave removal member 25b Inlet 25c Outlet 30 Suspension part 31 Guide part 32 Bridge 33 Top plate 34 Sling 36 Terminal block 37 Electric cable 100 Suspended matter observation device

Claims

1. A floating matter observation device for observing floating matters contained in a liquid to be observed in a treatment water tank, an imaging unit that images the floating matters in a state of floating on the liquid surface of the liquid to be observed, a suspension unit that is supported by the treatment water tank and provided above the imaging unit, and a guide device that guides the imaging unit in the vertical direction and is provided with, the guide device has a guide part provided on the suspension part and a guided part provided on the imaging part, the guide part guides the guided part in the vertical direction and restricts the horizontal movement of the guided part, the suspension part or the guide device has a stopper part that restricts the downward movement of the guided part beyond a predetermined position characterized in that, a floating matter observation device.

2. The guide part is a plurality of members extending downward from the suspension part characterized in that, the floating matter observation device according to claim 1.

3. A gap is formed between the guide part and the guided part, the guided part or the guide part has a gap adjustment part for adjusting the size of the gap characterized in that, the floating matter observation device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The stopper part is a string-like body connecting the imaging part and the suspension part, the length of the string-like body is set so that the guided part does not move downward beyond a predetermined position characterized in that, the floating matter observation device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

5. The suspension part further includes a terminal block to which an electric cable from the imaging part is connected, the length of the string-like body is set to a length with slack in the electric cable in a state where the guided part is at the lower end position characterized in that, the floating matter observation device according to claim 4.

Images